Tasting note on Linne Calodo
2004 Linne Calodo LC Red, Rising Tides - Paso Robles
I have not had great experiences with Linne Calodo wines, but this was one of the best yet. We drank this bottle with delicious lamb meatloaf and sauteed mushrooms. The nose was floral with layers of ripe fruit and wet stones. Reminded me of Chateauneuf, but replace the anise quality with very ripe fruit. The alcohol is 15.8% on the label, but this was not a hot wine. Nice balance on the palate with very pure dark fruit and a touch of sweetness. I would buy this wine again.
Labels: Linne Calodo, Rhône, wine
Controversial winemaking - selling your soul to scores
Leo McCloskey started a consulting company to help wineries create wines that get 90+ scores... despicable, but a great business. For 98% of wine buyers, scores drive wine purchases.
This article has an interesting discussion of the business and his perspective on wine scores.
Labels: Enologix
Carbon footprint BS makes it into wine world
I applaud
them for adding data to the mix, but I question it nonetheless. How do we know when the carbon footprinting begins and ends. Is this tabulation of carbon just for the manufacture of closures? Does it include the disposal and potential for recycling? What about the environmental impact of pulling aluminum from the ground or cutting down cork trees?
Grüner Veltliner
Every few years, a new grape varietal catches steam and starts gaining popular interest. It seems like Malbec made a big push a few years ago and
Grüner Veltliner is in the middle of its popular movement.
Grüner Veltliner is a varietal that I think is based in Austria and it produces wines that are light but display minerality and good acidity. They aren't overwhelming, but they do well with food. Plus, cheesy wine pushers have come up with catchy names like "GrüVe" or "Groovy Grüner" or "Gru-Vee".
I have always like Grüner - I like that it is affordable, fruity, but low alcohol and better with food. I decided that I wanted to try out a few Grüners side-by-side, to see if I could figure out which producers I prefer. I went to
Paul Marcus Wines and I got some recommendations from Ernest (now proprietor of a
new Italian importing company).
I brought over the four bottles to taste them side-by-side with some friends. It was interesting to note that they were very similar, especially when first opened. They showed strong acidity, a layer of fruit on top of a sweet vegetal layer. They also all improved with air and with food.
Notes to be posted soon...
Labels: Austria, Grüner Veltliner, McClure, Paul Marcus
BAMCSA
Again, not about wine, but this will probably interest the food and wine lovers. When we lived in Brookline, we joined a farm
CSA (Community Supported Agriculture). The idea is that individuals buy a share a farm's harvest. If the harvest is strong, you get a little more; if the harvest is smaller than normal, you get a little less. For the farmer, it is a great way to connect directly with consumers and to (in most cases) collect payment ahead of harvest, which takes away some of the financial pressures.
We joined the CSA in Brookline to support a local farmer and to get a steady stream of veggies. The veggies were often random (kales, chards), but it was good to learn about new foods.
In Berkeley, it is easier to find local fruits and veggies with all of the farmer's markets. There is a
great farmer's market three times a week in Berkeley alone.
That said, when I heard about the opportunity to get local meat in a similar fashion, I was all for it. The idea is to give consumers access to meat from locally, ethically, sustainably, humanely raised and slaughtered animals. The farmers bring the meat directly to Berkeley where we pick it up on a monthly basis. The meat is more expensive than Safeway meat, but it tastes better and you know it is coming from a good place.
The
Bay Area Meat CSA (BAMCSA), a project of Slow Food Berkeley, is made up of over 100 consumers who have joined forces to support local meat ranchers and farmers. If you are interested in learning more, please send me an email.
Labels: CSA, local food, meat
Don't call it a comeback
Cause we never left! This is unrelated to wine, but sometimes good stories just need to be published. Today I drove out to Brentwood with three buddies for a round of golf. Handicaps matched up well, so we teamed up into good guys and bad guys. Durbin and I took on Lele and Raj. We agreed to play hi-lo and the game began. Hi-Lo is a version of a
nassau. The stakes were $5 on the front 9, $5 on the back 9, and $5 for the total 18 holes. (For those scoring at home, in hi-lo you compare the two best scores and the two worst scores on each hole - thus there are 2 points available per hole.)
On the first hole, Lele casually rolled in a 50-foot putt for birdie. This after standing on the first tee complaining about his strained abdomen. Typical sandbagger material -- watch out for this behavior.
Our woes continued throughout the front 9 holes - by the end of the 10th hole, the good guys were down 7 points. They had dropped more putts and we were pretty much on the ropes... demoralized and just hope to squeak out a wine on the back 9 (so we would only owe $5 instead of $15).
Over the next 8 holes, Durbin and I won 12.5 out of the 16 points we could have won. It was a comeback of epic proportions, complete with clutch shots on the final hole and total shock from Lele/Raj. We look forward to the next opportunity to continue the trend.
Labels: golf
Dinner at Gregoire with some Cotes du Rhone from Garagiste
I blame a part of my wine-buying problem squarely on the shoulders of
Garagiste. Garagiste is one of those retailers that you buy from and even though you spend too much money there, you walk away shaking your head because they are so good at their job. Except in this case, they are an internet store and they sell exclusively through email offers sent out a couple times per day. Unlike other wine retailers that send out emails, Garagiste typically offers just a single wine. And usually (but not always) they offer the best price in the country.
Fortunately, they offer wines at all price points. You can buy $10 everyday bottles or you can buy $10000 bottles of aged Bordeaux. I tend to buy German rieslings, well-priced Bordeaux, and the occasional bargain wine. It is amazing how the purchases add up... anyway, I grabbed one of those $10 deals to see how it was.
Tonight, we drove down the hill to
Gregoire. Gregoire is a wonderful neighborhood restaurant that specializes in French food that you can take-out. I think the lunches are the best food offered (for the price), but dinner has the advantage of being able to bring wine to their small tables. Tonight was great - we had a leisurely dinner with a bottle of wine and we chatted with Gregoire. He is pretty much hilarious and we talked about everything from
BabyLegs to the new iPhone to babies.
I ordered a short ribs (delicious but wishy there were more mushrooms) and K ordered the rock cod (tasty and not too fishy).
- 2004 Domaine de Piaugier Côtes du Rhône Villages Sablet - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Côtes du Rhône Villages Sablet (7/13/2007)
There is definitely enough structure and fruit to be a success at the $10 price point. It is spicy with a touch of pepper, garrigue, and licorice. The red fruit is a little less concentrated in the mid-palate, but still a solid QPR.
Great Friday night meal and I think Avery is looking forward to going back.
Labels: Côtes du Rhône, Garagiste, Gregoire
Food with wine...
We returned to Flo and Rigby's house for dinner. I think it is interesting how little time we spend matching wine and food, especially us wine geeks. We are happy to spend hours seeking out the best price for a wine but then we spend just a few minutes thinking about how to pair the wines. Seems silly... a good pairing can completely change a wine.
I didn't spend a lot of time on pairings for this dinner, but maybe I should have.
We served this as an aperitif - an easy sipper.
- 2005 Wente Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc Livermore Valley - USA, California, San Francisco Bay, Livermore Valley
An interesting mix of grassiness and fruit. A little tart but overall, a good Cali Sauvignon Blanc. Reminded me more of an inexpensive white Bordeaux, as opposed to a NZ Sauvignon Blanc. (Note: I am a Wente summer intern, but I am trying to be unbiased.)
We should have popped the Moshin at this point, to match with the ceviche... but this Pinot was calling. It has enough acidity to be a food wine, but just not a good pair with the acidity from the line juice in ceviche.
- 2004 Joseph Swan Vineyards Pinot Noir Cuvée de Trois - USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley
This is the 3rd time I have tasted this wine, and I wasn't as impressed as the first two times. This bottle was a little more one-dimensional with nice ripe cherry fruit and a little earthiness, but it lacked the freshness and acidity of the other bottles. Still a good RRV Pinot, but not as memorable.
Then we moved to the next Sauv Blanc... probably would have been better before tasting the red.
- 2005 Moshin Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc Larrick Vineyard - USA, California, Sonoma County, Dry Creek Valley
Second time I have tasted this - nice balance of roundness and fruit. I think my buddy bought a case and got a sweet deal - good everyday cocktail wine or tasty with fish.
I think we started drinking this one with the pasta and meatballs, which is a nice pairing. Dumb luck.
- 2004 Murrieta's Well Zarzuela - USA, California, San Francisco Bay, Livermore Valley
This was an interesting wine - I think it is about half Touriga and half Tempranillo. It is ripe with some nice layers underneath of dark chocolate and spice. It is ripe but doesn't come off as hot - probably not for everyone but I could see it intriguing people. (Note: I am a Wente summer intern, but I am trying to be unbiased.)
At this point, it was just time to open whatever was closest...
- 2003 Cadence Bel Canto - USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Red Mountain
Very Bordeaux-like, though the nose was not showing much. The Merlot must have been winning last night as I tasted plums and dark fruit. Definitely has the backbone to age longer.
- 2001 Pepi Sangiovese Pepin Vineyard - USA, California, Napa Valley
Not an especially complex wine, but not bad for a $10 bottle of wine. Mostly black fruit and a little bit of earthiness.
mocking the 100-point scale
I really enjoyed
this post on Lyle Fass's blog. I haven't met Lyle, but now I want to.
I'll choose some recent news favorites to rate:
Beckham mania hits the USA - 77
Harry Potter mania returns - 85 (declining returns)
A mania that needs to happen -
Pandora - 94
Last night, we headed over to a friend's house for a meal of kebabs and couscous. I chose a white that I thought would go well with spicier foods and a red that honestly I just wanted to taste. I have been buying a fair number (for me at least) of 2004 Bordeaux and the Lascombes is one that seems to ring a lot of bells. I am now interested in doing a horizontal for this vintage - there are a lot of wines in the $40 range that I would like to compare.
- 2005 Roland Schmitt Muscat Glintzberg Sec - France, Alsace, Zellenberg, Alsace AOC
I brought this to McClure and Ellie's to sip on before dinner, and I thought it was very nice. Great nose of coconut and other tropical fruit (pineapple, lychee?), which was followed up with a wine that seemingly was both round on the edges but also had a nice acidity down the middle of it. I would buy this again - probably would be a good alternative to Gewurtz or Riesling with spicy food.
- 2004 Château Lascombes - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux
Brought this bottle over McFlo's house, proceeded to drink on its own and then with dinner of Mediterranean-spiced kabobs. Very classic Bordeaux nose - not nearly as ripe as the 2001 or 2002 versions. This vintage still features black fruit, a little smokiness and meatiness... but it is more elegant with floral aspects and a little more high-tone. The mid-palate is not watery, but it also isn't concentrated. I don't think this is a long-term ager, but it does have the fruit and acidity to lay it down for 10-20 years.
Labels: Alsace, Bordeaux, McClure, wine
Pinot Days Tasting - The Best of Anderson Valley
Jon and I picked up tickets last minute for one of the Pinot Days focus tastings - this one was titled, "The Best of Anderson Valley". I am not sure if it was really the best of Anderson Valley but it was definitely an educational tasting. Here are the wines in alphabetical order:
2005 Arista Ferrington Vineyard Pinot Noir2004 Bink Wines Weir Vineyard Pinot Noir2005 Breggo Cellars Ferrington Vineyard Pinot Noir2004 Claudia Springs Klindt Vineyard Pinot Noir2005 Dain Savage Juliet Hein Vineyard Pinot Noir2004 Elke “Donnelly Creek” Pinot Noir2004 Esterlina Vineyards Pinot Noir2004 Goldeneye Pinot Noir2004 Handley Cellars Reserve Pinot Noir2003 Harmonique “The Noble One” Pinot Noir2004 Husch Estate Pinot Noir2005 Navarro Methode a l’ancienne Pinot Noir2004 Philo Ridge Anderson Valley Pinot Noir2004 Raye’s Hill Vineyard Pinot Noir2005 Standish Wine Company Mayflower Pinot NoirThis was a really interesting tasting. It didn’t have the big names (other than Goldeneye) and I think I had only tried 2-3 of the wines in the past. It wasn’t about the name recognition or labels because everyone was laid back. In most of the flights, each of the wines had its supporters and it seemed like everyone got a fair shake. The acoustics in the room were poor so I didn’t get much out of the winemakers presenting their wines. Also, they debated the “deep end” versus “shallow end”… but it seemed like many of the winemakers did not believe this was the defining characteristic in the Anderson Valley. Some of the winemakers, including Bob Klindt at my table, thought that clone selection was much more important.
Sitting with a winemaker was a nice touch. Bob provided us with good color commentary and he was very honest with assessments. Most impressively, he was able to pick out both of his wines (blind).
I was impressed with the organization – everything ran on schedule, the wines were poured promptly, good stems for such a large tasting, and the cheese was tasty. There was a Camembert from Rouge et Noir that I especially liked. I was less impressed by the moderator – I appreciated his attempts at comedy, but I don’t think they added much value. On the other hand, his palette was somewhat suspect. I was often confused by his comments on specific wines, finding totally opposite impressions of things like acidity and tannins.
Anyway, I think the Claudia Springs was my favorite of the tasting… or at least the best value. All of the wines in Flight 4 were pretty good, and I thought Flight 3 offered up some great values.
Flight 1 – this flight had much more variation, both in the aromas and the quality
Wine 1 – a little jammy, candied, dried cherry, and roses; the aroma reminds me of pressed grape bins… it also reminded me a little of a blue raspberry icee. This was my 3rd favorite in this flight. Reveal:
2004 Bink Wines Weir Vineyard Pinot Noir. Retail: ~$40.
Wine 2 – darker flavors, this had the sexiest nose of the flight. However, the mid-palate just didn’t follow through – not enough concentration. The moderator said he liked the acidity, but that was what I thought this wine was lacking. To each his own. 4th favorite in this flight. Reveal:
2004 Elke “Donnelly Creek” Pinot Noir. Retails for $30, 200 cases produced.
Wine 3 – richer, dark, gripping, tannins, oak… big, but not jammy
Reveal:
2003 Harmonique “The Noble One” Pinot Noir. Retails for $48, 350 cases produced. Made from 30% Pommard clone, 20% 113, 20% 115, and I forgot what Bob said composed the rest.
Wine 4 – lightest, mushroomy, funky; this wine had deeper acidity and struck me as Burgundian
Reveal:
2004 Philo Ridge Anderson Valley Pinot Noir. Retails for $40.
Flight 2I thought this was the lowest quality flight overall. The big name wine (Goldeneye) did not impress me at all – it seemed muted and shut down… was it recently bottled?
Wine 1 – earthy cherry, some tar, spiciest, strong acidity
Reveal:
2004 Handley Cellars Reserve Pinot Noir. Retails for $52, 350 cases produced. I believe the winemaker said that they only make a reserve in some years, and that this cuvee is made from all Martini clone grapes. It is also an older vineyard.
Wine 2 – this was not a big complex wine, but it had bright cherry and focused fruit/acidity. It was also lighter in color.
Reveal:
2004 Raye’s Hill Vineyard Pinot Noir. Retails for $24, 450 cases produced. This is a blend of 4 clones and the winemaker said it is definitely “deep-end”. This was clearly the group’s favorite.
Wine 3 – my first impression was that this wine was muted and shut down. I wondered inwardly with my pen (instead of actually asking the folks around me)) if the wine had been recently bottled? At this point, the mid-palate seemed watery though the finish was fine.
Reveal:
2004 Goldeneye Pinot Noir. Retails for $54, 6000 cases produced.
Wine 4 – This wine had a bright strawberry nose and very ripe smells. It was so sweet and ripe that I was wondering about VA or reduction. I detected some sulfur and the acidity was not well-integrated (tasted like cranberry’s acidity).
Reveal:
2004 Esterlina Vineyards Pinot Noir. Retails for $40, 800 cases produced.
Flight 3 – this was a really nice flight and I was impressed after hearing the prices – lots of good values! These are wines I would buy if I saw them at retail or was visiting the Anderson Valley.
Wine 1 – deeper character but with good acidity; I liked the dark berry flavors, nice acidity, and mushroomy characteristic.
Reveal:
2004 Claudia Springs Klindt Vineyard Pinot Noir. Retails for $28, 300 cases produced. This was a slight group favorite and definitely my favorite.
Wine 2 – like wine #1, this was also deeper, but it had a little less acidity.
Reveal:
2005 Breggo Cellars Ferrington Vineyard Pinot Noir. Retails for $50, 200 cases produced. This vineyard is far from the ocean and typically ripens early.
Wine 3 – in this flight, this was the lightest Pinot, but the tannins were still palpable. I found that it had good acidity, and yes, it was herbal and minty. My 3rd favorite of the flight – still enjoyed it quite a bit.
Reveal:
2004 Husch Estate Pinot Noir. Retails for $21. The winemaker commented that the more herbal notes came from their use of about 25% whole cluster in 2004.
Wine 4 – deep and earthy, though it had the least acidity. This was my least favorite of the flight, but I think this was just a personal preference.
Reveal:
2005 Navarro Methode a l’ancienne Pinot Noir. Retails for $27, about 5000 cases produced. This wine doesn’t actually get released until October 2007.
Flight 4 – this may have been my favorite flight – all of the wines were structured and had a lot of fruit in their bones. It wasn’t clear whether they would each age, but they were candidates. They each had fruit upfront, but also had a sense of terroir.
Wine 1 – definitely a fruit-forward Pinot - it was flabby initially, but I wrote (after about 10 minutes) that this seems to be coming together, very juicy with very pure cherry fruit. At the end, this turned out to be my 2nd favorite in the flight and it seemed to be getting better in the glass.
Reveal:
2005 Dain Savage Juliet Hein Vineyard Pinot Noir. Retails for $42, just 50 cases produced. Dain used Pommard and Dijon clones in this blend.
Wine 2 – I found a light floral nose, with slightly brighter and redder fruit. It also got better in the glass. Initially, I found this wine to be similar to the first wine in the flight, but it got brighter with time.
Reveal:
2005 Arista Ferrington Vineyard Pinot Noir. Retails for $54 (Ferrington fruit must be expensive), 100 cases produced. This wine was bottled, unfined and unfiltered.
Wine 3 – I think my nose must have been getting tired/stuffed up because I write that this also had a muted nose. It was somewhat earthy/floral and it had the most acidity in this flight. This was my favorite in the flight.
Reveal:
2005 Standish Wine Company Mayflower Pinot Noir. Retails for $40, 350 cases produced.
Labels: Anderson Valley, blind, Pinot Days, Pinot Noir
Update on 2006 Nomadic Wines Pinot Noir and 2006 LeFavre Alder Springs Syrah
Jon F. really came to town so we could check the progress of the wine we're making at
CrushPad. I had tasted the wines a couple times since we pressed the wine into barrels, but this was the first time for Jon. The wines had improved quite a bit since the last time. The crux of this CrushPad experience is the chance to watch our wines develop.
We first tasted the Nomadic Wines Amber Ridge Pinot Noir. It has developed exactly as I had hoped - it is a very light red color with bright fruit and great acidity. The 667 clone is showing its great aromatics, though it also looks like we should blend in some 115 to give it more structure in the mid-palate. I like the tannins and the acidity, so the trick will be maintaining the bright fruit while giving it the extra structure.
Next, we found the barrel of LeFavre Alder Springs Syrah. This wine has made great strides - the last time I tasted it the wine was chalky, grainy... it tasted like the experience I would have expected when chewing on fruity coffee grounds. At this point, it has integrated and while the coffee and black olive are still the dominating characteristics, the black fruit is coming out and the tannins are coming together. We think it is time to transition into a neutral oak - we don't want the wine to become to vanilla-y or oaky. Thanks to Ty for helping us out.
I am looking forward to chatting with the winemakers about bottling and racking decisions.
After CrushPad, we stopped by the Ferry Plaza for lunch then drove to Fort Mason for the Pinot Days Anderson Valley tasting. I will post notes as soon as I can.
Labels: Crushpad, Jon, LeFavre, Nomadic, Pinot Noir, Syrah, wine
Dinner at Oliveto with Jon Favre and friends
Jon Favre came to the Bay Area to check on our wine, the 2006 LeFavre Alder Springs Syrah. He got in Friday afternoon and fortunately, his buddy Forrest was able to pick him up at the airport. We all met at Oliveto where Jon generously brought some great bottles. We met the rest of our party - Veronica, Shelley, and Shelley convinced her mom to stay for dinner.
The dinner was excellent - most of the dishes exceeded expectations and I am not even sure if we ordered well. The wine service was good, though not great. The waiter refilled the glasses and brought out new glasses, though he didn't take much interest in the wines. I think the highlight was the steak tartare, though I forgot its name on the menu.
The wines were excellent across the board, from the memorable Syrahs (La Chapelle and Reva) to the interesting Barolo comparison... it was a very successful evening. It was interesting to hear about everyone's travels and to talk about the Hospices du Rhone. Hopefully I will attend next year! After dinner we had a great discussion about the organic cotton market - I hope that Shelley's business is successful in building more demand for organics.
The wines (in order):
- 2000 Weingut Josef Högl Riesling Smaragd Ried Bruck - Austria, Niederösterreich, Wachau (6/29/2007)
A really nice wine to start with - it presented a combination of honeyed peach and sour apple, alternating between sweet and sour... with enough acidity to cut through the salumi appetizer.
- 1999 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc Cuvée Roussanne Vieilles Vignes - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape (6/29/2007)
Wow, this was a much better wine than the other vintages I have tried. Less oxidation and less vegetal notes, even though there were some herbaceous notes that added complexity to this wine. Lots of peach fruit upfront, with notes of wax, honeysuckle, and spice. Excellent.
- 1995 Domenico Clerico Barolo Ciabot Mentin Ginestra - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo (6/29/2007)
Of the two Barolos, this was the feminine, more lady-like version. It initially showed bright fruit and it was a touch sweeter. Like a coy lady, it slowly revealed more layers of earthiness, roses, red cherry, and anise. It continued to improve, but it was not a big bruiser.
- 1995 Azienda Bricco Rocche (Ceretto) Barolo Brunate - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo (6/29/2007)
This was a masculine example of Barolo, at least compared to the Clerico from the same vintage. There was more tar, darker cherry, more tannins, and a gripping finish that defined it as the better wine on that night.
- 1989 Paul Jaboulet Aîné Hermitage La Chapelle - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage (6/29/2007)
Just before we got to the modern Reva, it was nice to be able to taste this wine and to enjoy its many layers. It was meaty but not lacking in the fruit department, with berries all-around. It clearly was the crowd favorite, as everyone shifted gears after the two Barolos. Some preferred the Reva for its modern fruit forward, but this was a more nuanced wine. It had a long, beautiful finish that made it one of my favorite wines of my 2007 year.
- 2004 Alban Vineyards Syrah Reva Alban Estate Vineyard - USA, California, Central Coast, Edna Valley (6/29/2007)
Blackberry, blueberry, pepper, smokiness, tobacco, coffee - this is a wine with lots of layers but great upfront fruit. I like this modern-styled wine... it is definitely fruit-forward but I believe it will get better. Much more complexity than the Saxum and Pax wines.
- 1994 Joh. Jos. Christoffel Erben Ürziger Würzgarten Riesling Auslese *** - Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer, Mosel (6/29/2007)
This was a nice light wine to finish a meal. I am not sure if, as an Auslese, I would have expected it to be light and refreshing... but it ended up being a good way to finish off. It had citrusy notes and some petrol that blew off. Not a ton of acidity - almost Moscato-like, but not as cloying.
Labels: Crushpad, Jon, Oliveto, wine
